Sins of the Heartless
by Archer Princess
Summary: When a strange visitor from Middle-Earth appears in Puck's bedroom, the Grimm family thinks that have found their Champion against the Hand. But when they see who he really is, they begin to realize that they may have been mistaken...
1. The Visitor

**_EDIT:_**_ AP ~ We have a new development! After careful consideration, we decided to take this out of the SG/LOTR crossover classification. We realized that that the only ways to find this were looking in the SG/LOTR crossover section, or looking at my profile. Neither of those was really happening… This is most likely to be temporary, but we haven't really thought quite so far into the future._

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**Sins of the Heartless**

_Co-written by Archer Princess and Vanimalion. _

WARNING! There will be character death.

Disclaimer: The names and characters in this story belong to Michael Buckley and J.R.R. Tolkien, respectively, not the loyal and obsessed fans who are writing this. Please don't sue us... bad Karma.

Please send us a review... good Karma!

- Chapter One: The Visitor -

The shadows of the forest grew long as Legolas walked. He had donned hunting garb similar to what he had worn during the ring quest, moving along with an easy gait, his bow in his hand and his twin knives strapped to his back. He felt content and happy, in his element. He wandered aimlessly, letting his keen eyes take in the surroundings. The trees were slowly changing and growing slightly thinner. _'How far have I come? I do not remember ever seeing a place like this.' _he thought. But he did not mind. He had years of time to spend here, so there was no reason to rush. So he didn't. As he walked, the sun slowly went down, leaving the world lit with the dim grey light of dusk. Legolas liked this time of day; it always made him feel happy. There was, however, one thing that was truly strange, and that was that the climate seemed to be changing. When he had set off on foot early in the morning, the first snows had just begun to fall, but now, as he traveled, the evening turned balmy and warm. A slight breeze gently played with his hair, picking up the corn-silk hued strands and making them dance lazily around his face._ 'Odd...' _he thought, _'The weather should be getting colder. Perhaps it is some magic of Mithrandir's creation, here to give him a more pleasant journey through the woods.'_He smiled at this thought. It would be nice to see the old wizard again, if he was indeed the cause of this odd climate change.

The trees suddenly vanished. Frowning slightly, Legolas stopped to take in his new surroundings. Behind him, the tree line ended with a snaking line of bushes going off in either direction. In front of him there were a few trees, many lying on their sides as if they had been felled by neither axe nor by wind nor rain. They seemed to have simply been pushed by a giant hand. Beyond that was a small house, covered in spattered paint. And beyond that...

The thing was not immediately identifiable to Legolas. It was square, with bright colors and interesting patterns. He walked up and touched it, mesmerized. It felt odd to his sensitive fingers, smooth and artificial. It was unlike any other thing he had ever seen, and was completely out of place in Northern Ithilien. Inside the fence surrounding this thing was the one of the strangest animals Legolas had ever seen. This creature was not one seen anywhere in Middle Earth. It was standing up on huge hind legs, its small arms were held close to its chest, its paws encased in very large red gloves. It leaned over the strings that fenced it in, poking another strange creature with a stick. This creature was very different, yet still quite unusual. It was bear-like, with short yet fluffy black and white fur. It reclined against the colorful structure, gnawing on a piece of greenery. Its huge head twitched every time the first creature jabbed it. After a few moments, it awkwardly swung a huge paw up to swat at the irritating invasion of its personal space.

_'How very strange.' _Thought Legolas. He was close to the creatures now, but they did not seem to notice him at all. He turned and continued walking, his aim being the door to the small house. _'Who would live out here?' _he wondered, _'And where did they acquire such odd possessions?' _He stepped up to the door and was about to open it when he remembered proper etiquette. Not matter how curious he was, it was impolite to simply barge in to someone's house. After all, the inhabitants could be having an intimate moment. He promptly stepped back several paces, horrified at the concept of walking in on someone at such a time. He decided to simply stay away from the house and give whoever lived there their space. Yet his curiosity was not sated. He continued to explore, and after coming across a small lagoon and another group of even stranger animals, he went down another path and came across a new clearing, smaller than the last ones. In this clearing stood a single door made of plain, unadorned wood. Legolas approached it. He walked all the way around it, as it stood surrounded only by its frame. For no particular reason, the elf grabbed the knob and turned it. As the mysterious portal swung wide, Legolas' jaw dropped. To his utter shock, the door opened into a hallway. Too curious to resist, he stepped through the threshold, letting the door closed behind him with a soft _click. _

- X -

"Girls! Dinner!" Granny's voice sang through the house.

Sabrina groaned inwardly. She really hated Granny's cooking. The latest concoction had been making the entire first floor smell like garlic and fish. _'This one is going to be especially horrible.' _she thought as she put her book, _A History of Merpeople_, down and walked into the odorous dining room.

"Liebling, would you be so kind as to fetch Puck? I believe he is outside." Granny said as she placed an enormous pot onto the table.

"Yeah... Sure, okay." Sabrina replied half-heartedly.

She turned to leave the dining room just as Daphne waltzed in. Literally. She danced past Sabrina, ignoring her completely, and stopped next to Granny. "What's for dinner?" She asked, grinning cheerfully.

Granny smiled mysteriously. "That is a surprise. Just go wash up, and then you can try it!"

Sabrina shuddered, but Daphne smiled and clapped her hands. She dashed back past Sabrina and up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Shaking her head, Sabrina headed in the opposite direction, towards the front door. Just as she was reaching to open it, it banged open and Puck dashed in.

He collided with Sabrina and they both fell to the floor in a tangled heap of limbs. Sabrina had her breath knocked out as Puck landed on top of her in a very provocative position. For a moment, they stared at each other in mutual horror. Then Puck quickly pulled himself out of the awkward entanglement. Blushing slightly, he continued his previous course to the dining room at full speed.

Sighing, Sabrina picked herself up off the ground. Even though Puck had the body of a sixteen year-old boy, his manners had remained like those of a three-year-old. She blushed as she remembered his muscular chest pressed up against hers. The memory of their first kiss flashed across her mind. Her blush deepened. She had stopped denying that she had a crush on Puck. The way that he could make her blush instant proof otherwise.

"Puck! I said wait! Now sit down, and I _may_serve you dinner tonight!" Granny spoke sharply, her voice carrying clearly from the dining room into the hall. After a few seconds, her tone softened. "Oh Puck..." She paused, and then laughed. "Liebling, you are too much. You know I would never actually send you to bed without dinner. Go get Sabrina, and then my Mystery Dinner will be unveiled!"

Sabrina debated just slipping outside to avoid dinner. But then she heard Puck yell, "Yo Ugly! If you don't come in right now, I will drag you in by your enormous ears!"

Sighing, she walked into the dining room. The rest of the family had already gathered around the table. Even Briar Rose, who normally stayed at Fort Charming, was sitting at her place. Everyone had the same wary expression on their face; a mystery dinner served by Granny could prove disastrous. The exceptions were, of course, Daphne and Puck. The former had yet to find a dish that she did not like, and Puck, of course, ate too fast to be able to taste anything. Not that he would mind eating whatever came out of the pot even if he could taste it. He was like a human garbage disposal; Puck would eat anything that Granny put on his plate, even if it was inedible.

"Ah, there you are liebling! Sit, sit, sit!" Granny said as Sabrina approached the table. She waited until Sabrina had done so before continuing. "All right. In honor of a _very_special occasion," she smiled in the direction of Jake and Briar, her eyes twinkling as much as the engagement ring, "I have decided to pull out one of my favorite recipes. In fact, it was the first I ever collected. Prepare yourselves for my legendary dish!"

She pulled the lid off the pot with a huge flourish. Immediately the family was hit with the strong odor of garlic, ginger, and fish. All polite pretenses were lost, and many hands were lifted instinctively to protect noses from the odor. Even Puck looked disgusted, which was very impressive. Nothing disgusted Puck. Well, aside from the contents of the pot steaming at the head of the table.

Gagging, Henry managed to speak. "Mom! You _swore _that you would never make this again! Three people had to go to the hospital after you served it for my sixteenth birthday dinner!"

Granny pouted, her lip trembling in a very pitiful way. She had made this meal to celebrate her youngest son's engagement, and it was supposed to be a happy event. Obviously she had drastically misjudged the appetites of her family.

Seeing his mother's crestfallen face, Jake grimaced. "Mom, I really appreciate that you would make us this wonderful meal to celebrate me and Briar getting engaged. But really… you shouldn't have."

Sabrina's eye watered at the strong smell. The nauseous feeling that she had gotten as soon as the pot was opened had lessened as she got used to the scent filling her nose, but if truth be told, it had never really gone away. She turned her head away from Granny and looked at the rest of her family. Henry and Veronica had both gone pale, while Briar looked ready to vomit. Red and Mr. Canis, who were the closest to Granny and her foul pot, were slowly inching their way away from the end of the table with determined carefulness and stealth. Everyone knew how easily Granny got offended.

Only Daphne looked fine. In fact, she looked excited. "Oh, Granny… Count me in! I'm hungry!"

Sabrina looked at her sister in surprise. Then she shook her head. _'I should have known. Daphne tries every type of food, even if it looks like… this.'_

Sabrina gulped as she looked at the contents of the pot, which she would normally not have considered food. It looked a little like a soup with huge pieces of pale, slippery meat floating around in it. There also was celery, rice, and something that looked like a type of bean mixed in. The broth was an odd green-brown color and had grease bubbles of varying sizes. On the surface floated a few sprigs of parsley, in a sad attempt to dress up the dish and make it look appetizing.

"What _is_that?" Puck asked the question that had been dancing on the tip of Sabrina's tongue for the last few minutes. She had been unable to ask for fear that by opening her mouth, her stomach would realize that now would be a fantastic time to empty its contents all over the table.

Granny's pout was replaced with a smile. "This is an Indonesian dish that I picked up while I was staying there. It is called Swike Goreng Mentega, or Fried Butter Swike. Swike is a stew made from frog legs."

Sabrina's jaw dropped, all fear of vomiting forgotten. Frog legs. A new all time low for Granny. Even Daphne's excited expression faltered for a moment. But then she smiled happily again. "Bring it on!"

"I agree!" Puck cried. "You have made Captain Doodie-Face here turn green, and anything that does that is my new favorite meal!"

Sabrina growled. She had not been called that name in years. The fact that Puck was bringing it up again now could only mean one thing: the return of the Captain was at hand. What a wonderful addition to the evening's events.

"Puck, if you pull that on me again, I swear it will be the very last thing you do!"

"Children! No fighting at the table!" Granny waved her ladle threateningly. Droplets of the swike landed on Sabrina's face. She shuddered as a particularly large drop slid down the bridge of her nose, right where she could see the gooey green globule's progress in its quest to follow the laws of physics. Puck burst into laughter.

"Oh man… Old Lady, you have _got _to give me some of this!"

Oblivious to Sabrina's disgusted expression as she pulled her napkin up and wiped the swike from her face, Granny began happily serving and handed Puck a bowl of soup. He proceeded to eat it loudly. With each bit he took, Sabrina winced and scooted her chair farther away from him.

"Sabrina, will you at least _try_the swike? I worked hard on it all day…" Granny's pout was back at a dangerous level.

Jake elbowed Sabrina hard in the ribs. When she looked at him, he jerked his head as if to say 'take a bite, it won't kill you.'

She shuddered. Picking up her spoon, she nudged a particularly large piece of frog in her bowl. She glanced at her mother. Veronica was taking tiny sips of the broth. She raised her eyebrows at her daughter, nodding in agreement with Jake. Only Henry seemed to side with her. He hadn't touched his soup either. But when he saw her looking, he also picked up his spoon, sweat clearly visible on his pale face.

Resigned to her fate, Sabrina scooped a very small spoonful of the broth. Tiny pieces of the various ingredients drifted lazily through the mixture. She closed her eyes and put it into her mouth.

The taste was extremely peculiar. She could definitely taste the ginger and garlic, but there was something else hidden under that. Something almost like chicken. Altogether, the broth was not that bad. In fact, it might have been her new favorite dish that Granny made. However, Sabrina then realized what must have been giving off the chicken-like flavor. She swallowed quickly. "May I get myself some more water please?" she asked, more to get away from Puck and the nauseating sound he was making than to actually get some water.

She left before her mother had finished nodding. Once in the kitchen, she leaned heavily against the counter. This meal definitely was the worst that she had to sit through since she came to live with her grandmother. She began filling up her glass. "Frog legs." She muttered, her voice masked by the running water. "Really, Granny, this meal has topped everything else. Why, I'll be able to eat you stupid blue waffles now without a second thought!"

She sighed. Knowing she had only gotten permission to get some water, she filled her glass and turned to walk back into the dining room. "Deep breaths… It will all be over soon." She mumbled to herself.

She walked back into the dining room and froze. The family was talking amongst themselves, not noticing any of their surroundings. Sabrina dropped her glass in shock, staring at something through the doorway, her jaw hanging.

At the sound of breaking glass, everyone looked up at Sabrina. They saw her white face and frozen stare. Slowly, they all turned to see what she was staring at.

There was a man standing there. He was tall at about six and a half feet, as Sabrina guessed. He was clad in light sage green and brown hunting apparel with soft leather boots on his feet. His shimmery blond hair was braided in an elegant style that collected the hair at his temples and brought it back to mingle with the loose strands at the back of his head. He was carrying a huge longbow in one hand, and on his back, there was a quiver full of gold-fletched arrows. Next to the quiver, Sabrina could see the long bone hilts of two fighting knives. He was an intimidating figure, but more than anything, he was beautiful. His entire body was flawless and perfectly proportioned, the muscling lean and lithe, the face fair and perfectly symmetrical, with a strong, clean cut jaw and stunning ice-blue eyes. On top of all that, he emitted a soft silvery glow. She might not have seen it had he not been standing in a relatively dark hallway just outside the threshold of their dining room, looking in and watching them eat dinner with a slightly bewildered expression on his face.

He was watching them eat dinner.

- X -

The whole table had frozen. Everyone had dropped their food and were now staring, dumbstruck, at the intruder. Sabrina did not move to pick up the broken glass now littering the floor. All she did was watch as the man gave a slight bow, straightened, and the spoke with a slight accent.

"I am so very sorry to disrupt your meal, but I became rather lost in the forest. Could you tell me where I have come, and how to return to Ithilien?"

No one moved. Then, as though he had suddenly remembered that he had legs, Puck leapt up, pulling out a small wooden sword from his belt. Holding it out threateningly, he advanced on the man. He had broken the spell. Daphne screamed, Granny dropped her ladle, Jake and Henry jumped up and slowly walked towards the man. Only Veronica managed to keep a clear head. She got up and stopped Puck in his tracks.

"Who are you, and how did you get into this house?" spluttered Jake.

"My name is Legolas Thranduilion, and I walked through the door in the forest, and it lead to these rooms." The man called Legolas replied as he took a step back.

"What forest?" asked Henry, slightly confused.

"The door that leads to a forest. I am sure you are aware of it."

"Forest...?"

Jake waved his hand, ignoring his brother's question. "Yes, we know about the forest. But how did you get in there?"

"I live there. I was going for a walk when I came across many strange things, and I was curious, so I investigated. I found the door and came in here."

"You _live _in my room?" Said Puck, surprised.

"I suppose. But that is not a room, it is a forest."

"My bedroom is the forest. It's a magical room, duh!"

"What?" Said Legolas incredulously, arching a delicate, golden eyebrow. "Are you expecting me to believe that the entirety of Middle-Earth is actually simply your bedroom? Do you take me for a fool, or have you simply partaken of some of those mushrooms to which the hobbits are so partial?"

"Uhm, Hobbits? Middle-Earth? Wha..." Puck looked utterly confused. "You know, you could try talking normally. Right now you are making my brain hurt! It's like trying to talk to that rat-faced creep, Pinocchio!"

"Puck! Be kind to our... guest." Granny shooed the fairy to the side. Bravely stepping forward, she asked, "I am sorry, sir. Am I right in believing that you have lost your way? My name is Relda Grimm; perhaps I can be of some assistance to you."

Legolas laughed lightly. "Do not fret, good lady; I am not offended. I am not on any particular agenda, so truly, it does not matter that I have lost my way. All that I would like to know is where exactly is this place? Or maybe 'what' is more accurate. Of course, if it is not too much trouble." He smiled politely.

Granny blushed. "Good lady...? I have not met such good manners since Sir Lancelot saved me from a scrape I got into with Cindy's step-mother"

Puck rolled his eyes. Sabrina stepped on his foot, muttering, "You could learn from this... man." She said the last word slightly breathlessly, her heart beating just a little bit faster all of a sudden.

Puck stared at her, eyebrows slightly raised. He turned back to Legolas. "Alright, listen to me you...you...yellow-headed ruffian! Thanks for stopping by, but why don't you just go back to where you came from." He waved his hands in a comical shooing motion

"Oh, 'yellow-headed ruffian', am I? Please. Do realize that the same could definitely be said of you, as you are the one with soup all down your shirtfront. You might as well know that." Legolas laughed lightly, tucking a piece of hair behind an elegantly peaked ear. "And also realize that you are telling me to go back and live in your personal chambers. Is that truly what you intended to say?"

Daphne giggled and clamped her hand over her mouth. Red's eyes narrowed, and Sabrina stared at Legolas in amazement. It had been the perfect comeback.

Jake, on the other hand, frowned. "I don't think that he _can_go back. Puck's room is... well, to put it simply, on another dimension. We can't be sure that the path back to... Middle-Earth did you say?" Legolas nodded. "We can't be sure that the path still exists."

"Oh, that is a problem..." Mused Legolas. "It is imperative that I return _some _day. Though I have gone missing for over a century and no-one seemed to mind..." he paused, thinking, and then continued. "Regardless of that fact, I should get home eventually. I do have duties to perform..."

"Wait... A century? How old are you? Are you an Everafter?" After a silent moment, Red realized that she had spoken, and blushed deeply.

"Well, yes." said Legolas, turning his piercing blue gaze on the girl. "My father was absolutely livid when I finally returned home, but has gotten used to me disappearing since then, so I do not have to worry about having to do all of his paperwork as punishment..." he shuddered. "But I am about..." he paused to think again. "Three-thousand five hundred years old, give or take a few centuries; I don't keep track anymore. And what is an 'Everafter'?"

Sabrina glared at Puck. His face had split into an enormous grin when he heard that Legolas had gotten in trouble with his father. When he saw Sabrina looking, he mouthed, _"I'm older!"_

She rolled her eyes and turned back to Legolas. "An Everafter is a fairytale character. They are immortal."

Jake frowned. "Maybe we should give him a more... in depth version."

Granny nodded. She turned back to Legolas. "Why don't you sit down? I have some soup here, if you are hungry." She lifted up a ladle-full of the disgusting substance, a hopeful look crossing her face.

"My thanks for your hospitality, Lady Relda, but I am not hungry; I ate this morning. And yes, perhaps an in-depth explanation is needed." He smiled courteously. "Where shall we sit?"

Pink-cheeked, Granny turned to Puck. "Liebling, go get a chair. There are some folding ones in the closet under the stairs, or you could get one from the porch." When Puck didn't move, she used a sharper tone. "Go!"

Puck gave her an amazed look. "Old Lady, I am royalty! Nobody makes the Trickster King do _anything_!"

She raised her eyebrows. "Watch me." she said, dangerously. Surprised at Granny's tone, Puck backed out of the room. They could hear him grumbling the whole way.

Turning back to Legolas, Granny said, "I apologize for Puck's behavior. Are you sure you do not want some swike? I spent the whole day cooking, and I do think that you will like it."

Legolas, they saw, was chuckling slightly. "Worry not, I have dealt with worse. And yes, I am sure. I do truly appreciate your hospitality, but I would not want you to waste all your hard work on someone who really doesn't need it; I do not eat much." He declined smoothly.

To everyone's surprise, Granny was not offended. Instead, she smiled and called for Puck. "Puck, have you found a chair? Hurry up, it is impolite to keep a guest standing!"

"Alright, alright! The chair is here! Geez, you didn't need to yell..." Puck flew into the room, hovering behind Legolas. He dropped the chair with a bang.

Daphne hurried around the table to Legolas, where she quickly set up the folding chair for him.

"Thank you!" He said, smiling as he propped the huge longbow against the table and sat down. "Now, I believe that there are some important things that I need to know."

"Before we answer your questions, I assume that you will understand if we ask you a few of our own first." Henry said. "We are, unfortunately, in the midst of a war here. We want to make sure that it is safe to give you information. I'm sure that you understand."

"Yes, absolutely. My realm has been at war for the last two millennia or so, and this war only ended a few years ago. During the darker years, we had to investigate many possible spies. I am willing to answer any questions that you want to ask." Legolas said, now completely serious and businesslike.

Henry nodded. "Okay." He paused, contemplating Legolas. "Well, why don't you tell us something about yourself? Who you are... What you are." He added, glancing toward Legolas' ears, which had come into view when he had brushed his hair back.

"Oh, where to begin..." he thought for a second. "Well, I am the fifth son of King Thranduil of Eryn Lasgalen, so I am a prince. I am second in line to the throne, though I will never see it unless tragedy strikes. Eryn Lasgalen is a realm of elves. We are like in form to men, but we do not age beyond about... twenty years old for humans. I tend to handle more military and espionage strategies rather than matters of state, though at the moment I am restoring the war-torn realm of Ithilien, along with a company of other elves from Imladris, Lothlorien, and of course my home. We are now cleaning the woods and forests of residual evil. I was the representative for the elves in the Fellowship of the Ring, which helped to destroy the evil ring of Sauron, the Necromancer, and end the war. Is that enough, or would you like to know of my personal life?"

Henry was silent, contemplating the elf. Jake took that moment to ask a question of his own. "What is this to you?" Jake held up a torn piece of cloth. It looked as if it had been ripped from a shirt, the edges frayed and uneven. In the middle was a blood-red handprint. It had run some, making it look like it was wet and dripping. Upon closer examination, however, the handprint proved to be quite dry.

Legolas shrugged. "It looks just like a red handprint, nothing more."

Henry scowled at his brother. "Always need to jump right to the point, don't you, Jake?"

Jake shrugged. "His answer was honest. Your beating around the bush was getting tiresome."

"Beating around th-? I asked _one_question!" Henry spluttered. "And how do you know he was honest?"

Jake lifted one of his hands. At first it seemed like he was making an obscene gesture, but then Henry noticed the ring that was on his finger. "Duh! Magic!"

Henry growled.

"Do you have any more questions, or do you want me to start asking them now?" Said Legolas, slightly exasperated. He would _never _have gotten so unprofessional in an interview.

The bickering brothers stopped and looked at the elf. After a moment, Jake nodded. "Go ahead, dude. Ask away."

Legolas hid his skepticism well. There were so few questions. He asked at least fifty for each spy he interviewed. These men were obviously amateurs. He sighed. "Where is this place? Could you explain how your world works? In an abbreviated sense, of course."

Sensing another argument brewing between her sons, Granny spoke up. "Well, we don't know where 'Middle-Earth' is, so I don't quite know how to explain where you are." She paused, thinking. "Currently, you are in a small town called Ferryport Landing, which is in upstate New York. Ferryport Landing is home to only Everafters, although there used to be many humans also. They were recently run out by high taxes."

Here, Veronica took over. "Everafters were... or are, I guess, the characters in fairytales and legends. I assume that you are not familiar with our tales, so I won't get into the details of those. Are there any other questions?"

Legolas nodded. "Yes. Who are you all?"

Veronica covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. "I'm sorry. We never introduced ourselves. My name is Veronica Grimm. This is my husband, Henry Grimm, and his brother, Jacob. These girls," she gestured to Sabrina and Daphne, "are my daughters, Sabrina and Daphne."

"I already told you that I am Relda Grimm. I am Henry and Jacob's mother. These are my adopted grandchildren, Puck and Red. And this is our family friend, Mr. Canis. He, Puck, and Red are all Everafters."

"And this is my fiancée, Briar Rose. She is also an Everafter." said Jake, kissing Briar on the cheek.

Legolas stood up and bowed at the waist, hand over his heart. "I am pleased to make your acquaintances, and I wish to congratulate you on your wish to recognize your love." He said, his face cracking in a dazzling smile as he looked at Jake and Briar.

"Thank you!" Briar said as she blushed at the elf's smile.

Jake's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, thank you. Now if you'll excuse us, our family needs to have a short meeting about what we are going to do next. If you will just step across the hall, there is a sitting room. I'm sure that you will be comfortable in there."

Legolas nodded, picked up his bow, and walked out, giving them an excellent view of the two long knives strapped to his back.

Henry turned to the children. "Girls, Puck… I want you to leave also. This is not a matter that I can allow you to be involved in."

At once, the children began complaining. "No! Dad, I want to be part of it!"

"I'm sixteen, you can't make me!"

"Hello, royalty here! You can't make me do _anything_!"

"Mom, I want to be part of this!"

"Dad!"

"Old Lady!"

Veronica held up her hand to silence them. After they quieted down, she spoke. "Guys… I know that I usually take your side, but I don't think that Henry is being overprotective here. But this Legolas guy… He is not like anybody, or anything, that we have encountered before. Regardless of Jake's truth ring, I don't think that any of us truly trust him yet. Go upstairs or go start doing the dishes. Just stay out of the dining room and stay out of the sitting room." She turned to Briar. "Briar, do you think that you could go stand watch over Legolas?"

The princess smiled. "Certainly. I'm sure that you will fill me in later." She got up and, after give Jake a kiss on the cheek, left the room.

Veronica looked expectantly towards the children. "Go. Now."

Glaring at the adults, they did so.

"Sabrina, what are you doing?" Daphne asked curiously. Sabrina was taking loud and heavy steps, very unusual for the 'Queen of Sneaks'.

"I'm making sure that they know we are going upstairs. Then, once we are up there, Puck can fly us back down. Then we can listen." She whispered, careful to make sure that the adults didn't hear her plan.

Puck smiled. "There we go, let's get some mischief going here!"

- X -

Once they were at the top of the stairs, Sabrina stopped. She tilted her head, contemplating Red and Daphne. "Uhm… On second thought, maybe only Puck and I should go down."

Daphne's jaw dropped, her face shocked, ready to protest. "Hey! Why can't I go, too?"

"Because if we _all_go down, they'll be much more likely to find us. This way we are more likely to find out stuff." Sabrina said to the younger girl.

Daphne narrowed her eyes. "Do you promise to tell us everything? No matter how sad or dark it is?"

Sabrina chewed her lip. It would be very tempting to try and protect her sister from any bad information. However, if she didn't promise, they would not find out anything.

"I promise."

Daphne contemplated her sister for a moment. Then she shrugged. "Fine. Red and I will just wait in our room." They opened the door and stepped into the room.

Sabrina frowned. _'That was too easy...'_She shrugged and looked at Puck. "Ready?"

"Yep! Let's go eavesdrop!"

Puck wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. They flew down the stairs, stopping right before the kitchen door.

"Come on, I'll go first." Sabrina whispered. For once, Puck didn't argue.

She crept forward, taking care to avoid the stack of pots just inside the kitchen. She heard Puck take off again, hovering right behind her.

She spun on her heels, glaring at the fairy. "Are you mad?" She mouthed. "Your wings hum! They will be sure to hear us!"

Puck rolled his eyes, but he landed again. Sabrina turned back towards the dining room. They could hear a hushed conversation.

"...safe. I mean, look at him! He is the tallest man I have ever seen!"

"Not true. There is Little John. And Mr. Canis has a few inches on him, I think."

"So, we are in agreement to take him to Charming. But what stand do we take once we get there? Charming is sure to want to test him out. Do we let that happen? Or do we try and protect him?"

Sabrina heard someone snort. "Ha! If we let Charming have his way, Legolas will be treated like a lab rat. We will at least need to keep that from happening. But nevertheless, you are right. Someone who carries that many weapons around is sure to be talented with them."

"Or they may just be a ruse."

"I highly doubt that in this case."

Silence. Someone coughed, and then spoke. "So shall we retrieve him and take him to the fort? I assume that we will be siding with Legolas if trouble arises with Charming; that is Relda's way of doing things."

They all laughed. "Yes, Mom always finds the best in people."

"Innocent until proven guilty, Jacob. Call Briar and Legolas in. We'll take him to the Fort."

A chair scraped back, and Sabrina and Puck heard someone walking across the dining room to the hallway. "Briar? Go ahead and bring Legolas back in."

Sabrina turned around and gestured to Puck to walk back to the other end of the kitchen. They tiptoed out and down the hall. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, they heard Granny's voice say, "Would someone please get the children?"

Quickly, Puck snatched Sabrina up and flew up the stairs and to Daphne and Red's room. They quickly slipped through the door, closing it quietly behind them.

Daphne looked at them in surprise. "Why are you guys out of breath?"

Sabrina and Puck looked at each other in horror. The stairs creaked as someone started up to get them.

"They are done. We only just got out in time." Sabrina panted.

There was a knock at the door. All four yelped in surprise. "Kids?" Veronica's voice came through the door. "You can come down now." They heard her cross to Sabrina's room and repeat her words. Then she started back down the stairs.

Sabrina sighed with relief. "Thank god Mom believes in privacy, huh?"

"Come on, let's go down." Daphne said.

They started down the stairs, taking care to thump around quite a bit. When they got to the dining room, all the adults and Legolas were all standing around the table.

"Get your jackets, we are going to the Fort." said Granny.

"What about the meeting? What did you decide?" Daphne asked.

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "You already know."

Sabrina stared at her. "Huh?"

Veronica raised her eyebrows. "Sabrina, you and Puck were listening from the kitchen. We heard Puck's wings. And Daphne," she turned to her younger daughter. "You and Red were outside in the hall. Briar saw your braid when she brought Legolas back in here."

Sabrina glared at her sister.

"So where is this 'Fort Charming' place to which you are bringing me?" Asked Legolas. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that he was in the room with them; they had all been talking about him in the third person amongst themselves, which was slightly annoying.

"The Fort is our army base. We go through our Magic Mirror; it isn't safe to go there any other way." Veronica seemed to be the most comfortable talking to him.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Asked the elf.

"Nothing. Let's go!"

- To Be Continued -


	2. The Tests

**Authors' Notes**  
_AP ~ Hello! We are back with "Chapter Two - The Tests". I apologize (and I am sure V does too) that this chapter was late in coming… The school year just ended, etc. The good news for the future is that we are gonna set up a writing schedule so that this has slightly more reliable updating. The bad news… is that the schedule will not go into affect (or be made) until July or August. We are both going on super fun vacations and will not be in touch with each other. Unfortunately, that also means that "Chapter Three – [insert secret title]" will also be a midsummer accomplishment. More good news? Okay! If you review, that gives us a super boost and we are able to write/edit faster, or at least with more concentration. If you missed my subtle hint… REVIEW!_

_This chapter is dedicated to __**PenguinLoverGirl**__. Why? Because we love you!_

- The Tests -

Legolas' head was spinning. His muscles also seemed to be unable to keep themselves still. He was shivering all over, and his body felt gooey and useless. There were very few things that had ever been quite this unpleasant. _'I will never ride that horrible trolley of doom again!' _he thought, his insides swirling – a sensation he had not experienced since the last time he had been injected with spider venom. The other members of their little group seemed to be in a similar state, if not worse. After a few moments, his muscles stilled and he felt mostly well again, courtesy of his superb elven healing abilities. He did, however, still feel as if his stomach was about to rebel against his mind and expel its contents all over the shining marble floor.

Granny, the only other member of the party who looked fine, spoke up. "Well, why don't we get going? We need to get Legolas to Charming."

The four children stumbled out of the trolley and towards a room marked "Magical Mirrors". Veronica reached her hand out shakily and muttered. "'Brina, remember that we aren't supposed to enter through the Hotel anymore because..." She trailed off, closing her eyes.

Henry rolled his eyes. "I don't believe that prince. He expects me to take my two _underage _daughters tramping through a smoke filled bar? Not a chance..." He also trailed off, shaking his head.

Legolas shook himself slightly to regain full composure, and straightened up. "Should we not simply walk through quickly? I'm sure that they will not be traumatized." He said, his tone a little on the dry side. He chose not to say anything regarding Henry's comment about smoke... he would simply have to endure. Wonderful.

Sabrina leaned against the wall. She had noticed Legolas' tone and wondered slightly at it. "Whazzam...?" But she was too dizzy to actually ask her question.

Granny took Veronica's hand and helped her up out of the trolley. Her daughter-in-law stumbled to the wall next to Sabrina, where she slid to the ground also.

Jake gave a particularly hard swallow and reached into his pocket. "Hold on everyone, I have an anti-nausea charm..." He proceeded to dig around in the thousands of pockets in his jacket. "I'm sure I have one here somewhere!" After a few minutes of fruitless searching, he gave Briar a confused look and she started to help.

"What does it look like?

"It's a ring."

"...An anti-nausea _ring_?"

"Uh-huh. The one you wore after the carpet ride from Sacred Grounds."

"I remember – Ah!" She cried, holding something small and shiny in her hand. "I found it, Jakey!"

"Put it on and then pass it to the next person. It instantly clears the head, although you have to wear it for several hours for it to take the full effect."

Briar slipped the ring onto her finger. She sighed in relief and her eyes widened in surprise, all of her discomfort gone. "Whoa!"

Jake slipped the ring off of her finger and placed it on his own. He smiled with contentment. "Yeah, well... you actually are still nauseous, but the magic has affected your brain. Specifically the nucleus accumbens, which in turn affected the ventral tegmental area and allowed magically enhanced levels of dopamine to..." he stopped, seeing his fiancé's confused face. He smiled, and passed the ring to his brother.

Sabrina was the last human to receive the ring. As soon as it was in her grasp, she could feel the magic in it pulsing through her body. Even though she had not put it on her finger yet, she was feeling much better. She slipped the ring on, relaxing as the magic took effect, and she gazed at it in a happy, drunken stupor. The ring had no particular color, she noticed. Depending on the angle she held her hand at, the marble-sized jewel could appear to be any hue. It had an odd shape, rather like the hard candy rings, only more substantial. The biggest difference was that it fit and could change size and adjust to the girth of the user's finger.

Jake swooped in and snatched the ring from her. All at once, the magical charge was gone. Sabrina immediately hungered for more, her addiction kicking in. The desire for that feeling in her blood, that power at her fingertips...

Jake frowned at the look in his niece's eyes. "'Brina... I forgot. We need to be more careful, or your addiction could get worse." He passed the ring to Legolas. As their fingers brushed, Jake jumped ever so slightly. The elf's hands were deathly cold.

Legolas slipped the ring on his finger, feeling the power flowing from it. He felt better instantly. It was a pleasant surprise. He handed Jake the ring after a few seconds, giving a small smile in thanks.

Jake pocketed the ring again and set off toward the room of "Magic Mirrors". Legolas followed, again surrounded by the adults in their semi-conscious guarding ring. Jake pushed open the door and stepped in. The walls were lined with mirrors in varying frames, styles, and designs. A few of them had been crossed with yellow caution tape, blocking them off and making them look sad, forlorn, and somewhat forbidding. Those mirrors were broken. One only had a small crack, but others were completely shattered, the shards in a neat pile on the floor in front of them. A few of the ones that were not cracked looked just as dangerous and unfriendly as those that were broken, but one showed a sunny beach with a large building rising up in the background, which was quite pleasant.

Jake led them to a slightly squat mirror with a plain black frame. At the very top there was a coat of arms: an overflowing beer glass crossed with two pipes. Legolas just barely managed to hide his utter disgust. Smoke _and _ale.

It was worse when they went in. Legolas almost choked on the fumes emitted from many pipes, and the fog in the bar was thick and suffocating. When he smelled the beer, things got even more unpleasant, almost unbearable. But then he noticed that several of the bar's patrons looked like goblins, and his jaw dropped, the unpleasantness of the atmosphere completely forgotten. The goblins were talking and laughing at each other's jests and downing considerable amounts of alcohol. They were smiling and behaving like civil beings that contained quite a lot of intelligence, even when drunk. Legolas was dumbstruck for the first time in several centuries, and this complete and utter shock was the first unwanted emotion he had let slip onto his face in longer than he could easily remember.

Jake entered last. He looked around in disgust. "Of all the entrances... hey you!" He poked a particularly lumpy troll to his right. "Have you seen Vladimir?"

The troll turned around in his seat, glass in hand. He looked at Jake, his eyes crossing and uncrossing as he tried to focus on the group before him. He grunted and then motioned drunkenly to a door on the other side of the room. "Thet ol' fart 'sover dere..." he said, his words slurred from the alcohol. He promptly drained his glass and slid it along the counter to the bartender, demanding a refill.

Jake poked him again. "Mel, I know for a fact that you were supposed to report to Charming in about... oh, look at that! An hour ago."

Mel turned back to Jake. "What'sa matter wif ya? Ya keep yer noshe in yer buthineth... an' outta mine." He took a big gulp of his drink, some of it slipping down his chin and dripping into his lap.

Legolas was watching the conversation in utter fascination. He had never, in all his long years, seen a human have an actual conversation with a troll. He realized that his mouth was slightly ajar. He closed it quickly, and his impassive mask was back on before anyone noticed. _'Thank the Valar no-one saw such rude staring!'_

Jake started digging through his pockets. "Mel... control yourself! If your wife knew that you were in here – Briar, did I lend you the transmogrifier ring?"

Briar slipped her hand into one of his pockets, rolling her eyes. "I think that I know your jacket better than you do!" She pulled out an interestingly shaped ring, slightly more elliptical than circular.

Jake smiled and took the ring. He put it on and waved his hand around awkwardly.

Daphne snickered, but then stopped when the troll suddenly morphed into an old man, wrinkly and bent. He had next to no hair, and what little he had was yellowish from age. His back was stooped like a candy cane, and though he could have been a tall man if he were to stand up straight, he now appeared to be shorter than Sabrina.

"Why'd ya do dat?" he slurred angrily, glaring at Jake. "And wha 'yall doin' bothrin' me in 'ere, bethides?" His glare passed from one member of the company to the other, resting disapprovingly on Daphne and Sabrina. "An' whatta _they _doin' in a 'ere_?"_

Granny placed her hand on Jake's shoulder. "Jacob, I'm taking the children and Legolas to find so we can get out of this mirror. I would like you to come with us." She said the last sentence slowly and deliberately.

"Yeah, and if you are planning to start a bar fight, we are definitely leaving." Henry snorted.

Jake sent a glance at Mel, but when Briar placed her hand on his shoulder, he permitted himself to be led away, muttering the whole time.

"Coward!" Mel growled quietly. "Take me powers, why don'tcha! Stop playin' wif yer fanthy rings and do real man's work!" He called after them, looking extremely sour.

Jake spun on his heel and leapt at the shrunken figure, ready to punch the impudent troll with all his might. However, Legolas' hand shot out a grabbed him before anyone else really knew what was happening. His heavily calloused archer's palm rested firmly on Jake's shoulder, preventing him from moving toward the troll-man-thing.

"Oh, just let me get him! I have spells that would make him rue the day he gave me an F in History!" Jake snarled.

"Jacob! It's not worth it. Now let's get to the Fort, okay?" Henry forcefully instructed his younger brother.

Jake took a deep breath, and Legolas removed his hand. The men and the elf joined the rest of the Grimm family, who were talking to a squat man named Vladimir.

"...the Fort? Yes, I can take you to the Fort! Jolly good, jolly good! Are you _all _going? Wonderful, jolly good! Well, right this way, lads and lassies! Oh, jolly good"

The Grimms followed Vladimir to the "front door" to his mirror. Once there, He turned back to them.

"Welcome to Fort Charming, Grimms and assorted others! Please do enjoy your stay at the Fort. Just step through this door, if you please! Jolly good! I hope to see you again soon!" Vladimir said jovially, motioning towards the door with a courteous smile on his face.

Puck took a step forward, but Granny held him back, scolding him "Guests first. After you, Legolas."

Legolas, surprised, stepped up to the door. He was still not completely confident about these portals, but when he stepped through the frame, he looked as if he had done it a thousand times.

- X -

Sam Leboa was enjoying a nice, quiet, boring day as one of the guards in the nice, quiet, boring Mirror Tent. That is, he was until a heavily armed man jumped out of one of the lesser-used mirrors, landing catlike and almost silently on the soft grass. He was a threatening figure, tall and well muscled, and he was carrying a huge bow, a quiver and a pair of knives strapped to his back. To Sam, he seemed like a murderer that had come to slaughter him.

Sam let out a very high-pitched scream and leapt about a foot in the air, knocking over his chair and a table on which he had been playing solitaire.

The man looked slightly startled at Sam's dramatic reaction.

"Do please forgive me, ser," said the man with a slight bow. "I didn't intend to startle you so."

Sam paled, staring at his visitor in dumbstruck terror. He swayed for a moment before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground with a soft flump, out cold.

The rest of the Grimm family stepped out of the mirror. Granny frowned. "Oh my. Mr. Leboa?"

Henry pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought Charming said that he wouldn't be posting Leboa by the mirrors anymore!"

"Does he do that often?" asked Legolas, looking ever so slightly embarrassed at causing the man's sudden collapse.

Henry nodded in exasperation. "Yeah. Leboa is easily surprised. I think Charming felt obligated to give him a job since he is the son of the North Witch, and she has been a huge help."

Legolas considered this for a second, and then turned back to the Grimms. "Shall I meet this man know as Charming?"

Granny nodded. "Yes. However, the children have their own lessons to get to, and they are late already. Sabrina, take Red and Daphne over to their lessons, and then you and Puck need to get to the arena, yes?"

Sabrina nodded. "Come on, guys."

Daphne threw her arms around Legolas and gave him a big hug. "Bye Legolas, I'll see you after my classes!"

The elf smiled, hiding the fact that that was this was a bit awkward. _'This child is far too trusting.'_

After the four children had disappeared, the adults and Legolas continued on their way across the camp. They passed long rows of tents, a long building that was the Mess Hall, and a clean white tent that was obviously the infirmary. The smell of medicine and chemicals drifted towards them, chokingly clean and somehow heavy.

They soon came to a large and very plain house. Granny knocked lightly on the door with her old, wrinkled hand. She turned to Legolas so that she could explain the importance of their location. "This is the house of William Charming, the leader of our forces."

Jake snorted. "I'd better warn you of something. Charming is... intense."

The group all turned to the door just as it opened. There stood a beautiful woman with shiny black hair that fell just past her chin. Her skin was as pale as snow, contrasted sharply with her dark locks, and her strikingly blue eyes scanned the crowd on the doorstep quickly, taking in each of Legolas' weapons carefully.

"Hello Relda. May I ask who this is?"

"Good evening. I am Prince Legolas of Eryn Lasgalen. And you are..." he trailed off expectantly. He thought that it would be wise to inform the leaders of his status, as leaders of organizations tended to care about things like that.

"I am Lt. General Snow White, second in command of our army." She introduced herself quickly and then called over her shoulder: "Billy! The Grimms have brought someone who we need to talk to." She turned back to the group, watching Legolas closely. He smiled at her.

Charming came into hearing range already complaining about the family. He was gesticulating violently, his hair sticking up in the back. "...some. Always bugging me to death. And where did the Grimms get someone? How would they capture a member of the Hand?"

"He came through some alternate dimension into Puck's room. We thought it was best to bring him to you."

Charming came into view and froze. His eyes scanned Legolas. "Snow... who is that?" he said stiffly.

The corner of Legolas' lip twitched in a little half-smile as he looked at Charming, completely unfazed by the man's aggressive demeanor. Legolas examined Charming with an appraising glance. Immediately, he did not like what he saw and felt. This man's air was simply too cocky. Or maybe that was just his face... he was nice looking, with blond hair – though far shorter than the elf's – and blue eyes, but the very strong, square jaw made him look like some mortal out of a legend, the kind that always killed the dragon and was all revered and celebrated. They tended to get cocky.

Charming's eyes narrowed, and Snow put a calming hand on his shoulder. "This is Legolas. He showed up in Puck's room."

"I knew that boy would be the end of me..." Charming muttered under his breath as he flattened his hair.

Snow threw him a dark look and then turned back to Granny. "Why did you bring him to the Fort?"

Veronica stepped forward. "We were unsure what to do with him, so we brought him here. When Henry and Jake questioned him, he claimed to know nothing about the Hand, but we know that you may have more... intensive questioning that you may want to do."

Snow shook her head. "No, our questioners couldn't get anymore information than Henry and Jake working together." She smiled at the men. Then her face turned more serious. "Is he... _like us_?"

"You mean an Everafter?"

"Yes."

"Well... not exactly. He isn't from any fairytale, but he isn't human either."

"Not human?"

"I am an elf." Legolas stated from behind. They seemed to have forgotten that he was in the room. It was becoming quite annoying. "I am not from any story or tale, but I am immortal." He simply stood there, impassive. He watched them silently.

"An _elf?_" Charming scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Snow glared at him, and then turned back to the group on her doorstep. "I apologize for his behavior. It's just that human-sized elves are not common in Ferryport Landing." She gave Legolas an embarrassed smile.

Legolas paused. "I do not believe that we speak of the same elves. As far as I know, we are all of a similar stature, with only slight variations. The word 'elf' is naught but what humans call us, so it is understandable that the term may have a different meaning. I am not offended, though." It was true, he was not offended, but he was beginning to seriously dislike Charming and his attitude.

"That makes sense. The term 'fairy' is used in a general sense here in Ferryport Landing." She paused, her eyes scanning the elf again. "Legolas, I am hoping that you won't mind us doing some tests. You are different from us, and we would like to make sure that we are... compatible." Snow's hand was resting on the hilt of a dagger, but she showed no signs of needing to draw it.

"What types of tests?" Legolas said, slightly suspiciously, not missing the weapon at Snow's hip. "And what do you mean by 'compatible'? What do you wish to discover?"

"Oh, nothing to be suspicious about. We would just like to give you a check up and maybe get an understanding of how you work," she joked. "And I meant that if you have some type of virus or something that could hurt us, we would need to find a way to protect ourselves."

The elf seemed to find this amusing. "I am sorry, but I am an elf. Elves do not get viruses. And I will take these tests of yours, if I am truly that mysterious." he grinned good-naturedly at her, his eyes twinkling.

"I believe you, but it is routine that we do these tests." She glanced at his weapons. "And after the results of the physical tests come through, I would like to put you through some skill and agility testing."

"You want to recruit me, yes?" He asked, cocking his head to the side and looking at her, his expression unreadable, his eyes cool and penetrating. It was more than a bit unnerving.

Snow blushed lightly. "If the tests come out fine and you have the skills we look for, I would like to give you a chance."

"Well, I would definitely be willing. I am used to wars, and will be glad to help, if you want me." He smiled lightly again in the way everyone was now becoming accustomed to.

Snow looked at the rest of the Grimm party. "I'll take over the custody of Legolas. You will report to your various jobs now." She watched the Grimms leave. After they were out of sight, she turned back to Legolas. "Let me escort you to the Medical tent."

- X -

At the Medical Tent, Snow transferred custody of Legolas to the Medical staff, muttering about needing to check in on Puck's training.

Legolas sat in the chair in which Snow had told him to wait. He looked around. The tent was clearly a healing ward. There were tables with shiny instruments, buckets of cotton, and rolls of bandages. Numerous shelves lined the walls, heavily laden with books of medical information, bottles of rubbing alcohol, sleeping medicines, disinfectants, and other things. The place was almost all white cloth and shiny silver metal, and there was a powerful smell of antiseptic in the air, but still, it was not an unpleasant place.

Legolas was alone, but that soon changed when a woman dressed in a white healer's smock stepped into the tent, eating a sandwich.

"...and tell Galahad that he needs to stay in bed. His leg will never finish healing if he continues to try and walk." She called over her shoulder. Then she saw Legolas. "Ah... You must be the mysterious visitor the Grimm family brought. You are Legolas?"

The elf nodded. "Yes, I am. And you are...?"

"I am Doctor Sprat. I am the head doctor here at Fort Charming." She took bite of her sandwich. "Snow mentioned in passing that you were an elf?"

"Yes, she was correct. May I assume that you also are unaware of elves? I had to explain to the others that I was not the same as the elves here in... Ferryport Landing."

"Assume I know nothing about elves. Shall we proceed with the exam?"

Legolas nodded. "Yes. What would you like me to do?"

The woman put her sandwich down on a platter. "Before we begin, we need to completely disarm you. Please come with me, we have a room for you to put your things in."

They went into another room where there were numerous hooks and shelves. Legolas removed his quiver and long knives, setting them on a shelf. His bow he hung on two hooks that were below the shelf. He also removed several small daggers from secret places on his person. One was in each boot, one clipped discretely onto his upper left arm, three were on the inside of his tunic, and another three were produced from some place, but the nurse did not see where. He also removed his vambraces, which each sported a deadly hidden assassin's blade. He was fully disarmed and a few pounds lighter.

The doctor watched in amazement as he removed each pristine, deadly blade. "My god, you have a lot of weapons."

"In my home, we need many weapons. Until recently, our forest was overrun with giant spiders, and arrows can be spent and knives lost. We carry many blades to ensure that we are never left completely defenseless, as such would mean certain death." He said lightly, as though talking about the weather.

She tilted her head and looked at him, then she gestured towards the door and lead Legolas out of the room, stopping briefly in yet another room to pick up a folder and some forms. She then took him into a room with various pieces of equipment. "Now Legolas, in here I am going to check your weight, your height, your temperature, and your blood pressure."

Obediently, Legolas followed her instructions as she made him step off and on the scale. He was incredibly light, making it very hard for her to believe that her scale was working properly. She moved them into another room and made him stand on that scale, but the readings were the same all over: 120lbs.

"Legolas, you are 40lbs underweight for a human male of your stature!" She paused, staring at him. "Is this normal for an elf?" She said, reserved. It was as if she had only just remembered he was not human.

Legolas shrugged. "I would assume so. We do not measure our weight much. However, I do not appear to be underweight..." He looked down at himself. He was not skinny. Slender, yes, but not skinny.

Sprat shook her head and continued the examination. With each test came unbelievably insane readings. Many, like his pulse, seemed impossible. His blood pressure, surprisingly, was normal.

"Well Legolas, I have never seen results like this. You would be a medical miracle if you were human, or even an Everafter. Since we have no other information to compare it to, I am going to have to take your word for it. These results will be considered 'normal' and we will compare all future tests to them."

The small grin that had crept onto his face faltered to be replaced by one of mild curiosity. "Future tests?"

"Yes. All soldiers here at Fort Charming have to be given a checkup once a week."

At that moment, Snow returned. "Hello again, Legolas." She nodded to dismiss Sprat.

"Mae govannen." He said out of habit. "What have you returned for, General Snow?" He looked curiously at her, his ice blue eyes unsettlingly piercing.

Snow tilted her head to the side. "What does 'mai go vanen' mean?"

"Well met." The elf replied simply, his gaze still and unblinking, focused on Snow.

"Ah." She paused for a moment. "You know, your gaze is very intense. It is kind of disconcerting." She said bluntly.

"Yes, I do. I have been told that many times. I get it from my father, so I know exactly how you feel. Quite unpleasant."

She smiled at the elf. Sprat returned just then, carrying a folder. She passed it to Snow, who looked it over. She frowned, and then looked back at the elf. "You have some very interesting... 'healthy' traits, Legolas."

He grinned again in that way he did, like everything in the world was a little private joke. "Yes, I suppose that I do. For humans, at any rate."

"Even for an Everafter it is strange. We are usually considered to be 'perfect' in medical senses, and we have a type of magic running through our veins that causes most testing to go crazy off the charts."

The elf cocked his head, and the smile was replaced with an expression of complete concentration. It was almost impossible to tell how the elf would be feeling from one minute to the next. "What kind of magic? Is it the same kind that I have?" His gaze got more intense, if that were possible.

Snow shook herself. "I don't know what your sleeping patterns are, Legolas, but it has been a very long day for me. I would like to put you through some skill and agility testing tomorrow, if you would be willing."

The elf instantaneously returned to his normal self again. Giving Snow another half smile, he replied "Yes, I am very willing. Moreover, a bit of sleep would be quite pleasant. I dreamed a bit on my walk through the forest, but not since at least three days before that have I gotten true sleep. I believe that rest will do me good. Now, I must collect my things."

Snow rubbed her cheek, her eyes showing how truly tired she was. "I'm afraid that you won't be able to do that."

Legolas' smile was gone in an instant, and the room seemed to get slightly colder as his eyes narrowed. "Why?" He asked suspiciously. It was the first thing that seemed to incite purely negative emotions in the elf. He was not pleased.

Snow raised an eyebrow, and Legolas did not miss her hand flashing towards her own weapon. "It is just a precaution. We don't know what your skill level is, and want to keep the Fort safe. Again, it is just a precaution."

Legolas stared coldly at her for a second more, then, thankfully, his emotions seemed to return to neutral. The tent returned to its normal temperature. "I see. I assume, if I show a high enough level of skill, they will be returned to me?" The tone of the words was light, but there was a slight undercurrent of a threat hidden beneath the smooth, pretty speech.

"It is not so much the level of skill as how trustworthy you prove to be."

Legolas appeared to relax, which allowed Snow to loosen the hand on her dagger. "Can I escort you to your sleeping quarters?"

"Yes." Legolas said calmly, but Snow could still detect tension in his voice. "I will be able to retrieve my weapons soon?" There was almost a sense of urgency to his voice, and Snow could almost feel the veiled stress coming off the elf in waves. It was like a shy child, lingering in the shadows. Always there but never truly seen. A crackle of electricity in warm air.

It crossed Snow's mind to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but, deciding against it, she merely said: "You will be allowed to have your weapons back after the testing tomorrow, as long as it goes well."

Legolas relaxed noticeably, though he was still tense. His face and body posture were normal and smooth, as ever, but Snow could feel it. It was even more disconcerting than his stare. "Good." he said. "Now where must we go to sleep?"

"Follow me; I'll take you to a spare tent where you can have some privacy."

- X -

Early the next morning, Snow was outside Legolas' tent, softly calling his name. Hearing no response, she dismissed the sleepy guard and opened the tent flap to wake him up.

She froze in surprise. Legolas was lying on the bed, dressed for the day and impeccably groomed. He was on his back, but his head was turned to face the entrance. He did not speak or move, and his eyes stared out blankly, the ice blue piercing and still, almost lifeless.

"Good morning, General Snow." The elf said coolly, not moving a muscle.

Snow gasped in astonishment. After a second in which she caught her breath, she drew herself up to her full height and said "While I appreciate the respect, there is no need to call me General Snow unless we are on the battlefield." She paused again. "Are you ready for the skill testing?"

The elf smiled at her and got up. He was only a little less than a foot taller than Snow was and stood looking down upon her cheerily. "Yes, I am ready." He turned and walked out of the tent, fully awake. Elves were strange things, to be sure.

Still a little shaken from the shock, she led him away from the tent. They crossed the camp quickly, Snow striding forward with an unconscious air of authority, while Legolas' long stride let him keep pace with ease He walked a few feet behind the General as she headed in the direction of the training grounds.

They came to a part of the Fort that Legolas had not seen before. It was a small, fenced-off field in the far corner of the enormous was camp. Several large cabinets stood on the edges alongside several types of targets.

Snow walked over to one of the smaller storage units. Opening it, she said "I am going to work with you on the assumption that you know nothing about fighting. I'll want see what you can do, and we will work from there." She pulled out a wooden knife, holding it towards him hilt first.

Legolas nodded, letting a slight smile creep over his face.

"This," she said, "is one of our practice weapons. Go ahead, take it."

Legolas took the knife. It fit easily into the contours of his hand, but the balance was off and the wood was rough. The whole thing was poorly made. It was awkward to be holding a wooden sword again after three millennia of working with his smooth, elegant knives with their perfect balance. His smile faltered as he remembered that they were out of his reach indefinitely.

"Take a swing at this dummy. Not too strong, I want to see your form."

Legolas slashed at the dummy obediently, his form perfect.

Snow's tried to mask her delight by asking him to try a few more advanced maneuvers. After that, he was handed a saber. Seeing the grace with which he handled this, Snow next gave him a two-handed greatsword, a curious expression on her face. He handled it with impressive skill, but not with the same grace. It was obvious that the greatsword was not in his particular field of expertise. Then there was a test of throwing daggers. He created a large L on the wall with the holes created by the knives sailing from the farthest point in the training center.

The fun truly began when Snow told him to turn to the archery station. There were many targets in the training center, and when legolas was finished, not one remained unpierced. The strings of lights were severed, the chains of punching bags speared, and the holes in the wall left by the knives carefully filled with steel points. The elf's form was impeccable. He had done well with other weapons, but it was now clear that the bow was his crowning glory, the root of his prowess. Snow had never seen archery at this level of perfection.

After only three minutes, she called a halt. The elf had fired over fifty arrows, hypnotizing in his deadly precision and mind numbingly beautiful in his graceful execution of each shot.

"I am going to leave you here for a few minutes while I get Charming." She said, looking around distractedly. "Just..." She trailed off. She turned quickly and left to find Charming.

When she returned, Snow had Legolas show Charming his skills in archery.

Charming spluttered, his mouth opening and closing, unable to form words.

Legolas turned to them and grinned. It was such a regular occurrence that it was almost expected now. "Can I have my weapons back?"

Snow blinked. Her cheeks flushed as she said "Your weapons are still under inspection, but I will personally return them to you once we are finished." Seeing the elf's expression tighten, she added, "You are welcome to arm yourself using things from the armory." She ran her hand across her forehead distractedly. "Explore the Fort if you want, or go back to your tent. Only the Maps and Strategy tents are off limits. Oh, and you must remain in the camp."

The corner of Legolas lip twitched upward in a good-natured half-smile. "Please, do not mind if I take you up on the offer and plunder your armory. You also have my word to stay out of the restricted areas."

"Charming and I have to go to a meeting now, but if you have any questions, there are Grimms scattered around the Fort." said Snow, giving him a small smile. Charming saw the smile and frowned.

"Very well. Perhaps I will see you in the near future. Until then, farewell." Legolas said, and he turned and walked to the armory. Once there, he took a bow and quiver, more almost ten throwing knives, a lightweight fighting knife, and two daggers. They were crude in comparison to his handsome elven weapons, but they would do. For now.

- X -

"Billy?"

Sabrina looked up at her mentor's voice. No one had entered the tent, but she could see the shadows of Snow and Charming on the softly rippling canvas as the two figures stood outside, conversing quietly. She glanced at Mrs. Hood, but she was sound asleep. She quietly set down her pencil and focused on the muttered conversation.

"Is this important, Snow? I'm really busy..."

"It is very important. It's about Legolas."

At this, Sabrina saw Puck perk up from where he had been dozing. She glanced at him, and he put his finger to his mouth. She rolled her eyes, mouthing 'Well duh!'

"What about him, is he causing trouble?" Charming sounded almost hopeful. Sabrina smirked. It almost seemed as if Charming was jealous.

"No, no, everything is fine. But you _need _to see what he can do."

Charming sighed. "Fine, I'll come with you. But only because it's you, Love." Sabrina turned back to her math. She saw Puck mock gagging as the sound of kissing emanated from the other side of the thin canvas.

Looking down at her homework, Sabrina saw that she was halfway done with her last problem. As the adults whispered sweet things to each other, she finished the last problem, and turned it in to Mrs. Hood, who was still fast asleep.

Puck also got up, though he had not finished even half of his homework, and together they snuck to the entrance of the tent, waiting the time when it would be safe to leave. After a few more seconds of kissing and cuddling, during which Puck pretended to violently vomit more than once, the adults moved off, unknowingly shadowed by the two teens.

"Hey guys!" Daphne called, startling Sabrina, who had been trying to hear what Snow had just whispered to Charming. It had made him frown.

"Hi Daphne! Learn anything fun today?"

"Yep! I got this pucktabulous ring today! Mallowbarb told me to be careful with it, but I told her we are Grimms, and getting into shenanigans is part of the job description!"

Sabrina laughed. When Daphne used her newest word, "pucktabulous", Puck had puffed out his chest proudly. "That's great, Daphne..." she said.

At that moment, Red joined them from the Grimms' overnight tent. She gave them a small wave, and fell into step at Daphne's side.

"Hiya Red!"

Sabrina frowned. "Why were you in the tent? Aren't you supposed to be working on your meditation exercises with Mr. Canis?"

Red gave her a shy smile. "Yes, but Robin needed him for something so we had to postpone it for another hour."

"Ah…"

Puck's stomach rumbled loudly. When they stared at him, he said "What? It happens to be lunchtime!"

Daphne frowned, then blushed as her own stomach made a similar noise. "You are right! I'm hungry… can we go to the Mess Hall?"

Sabrina sent one last look at the retreating backs of Snow and Charming. Then she sighed and nodded. "Whatever."

Puck gave her a grin that made her blink. "Race ya!" he shouted as his wings sprouted from his back.

Daphne took off, running as fast as she could. Sabrina and Red held back, walking in silence to the Mess Hall.

"Grimm… if you were any slower, you would be going backwards!"

This insult made Sabrina laugh. "Hey Stupid! You may want to reorganize your brain. You are losing your touch, Sir Smells-a-lot!" With that, she tore after the fairy, towing Red behind her.

They all reached the Mess Hall at about the same time; Puck had wasted his precious head start by circling back to taunt Sabrina, Daphne, and Red. They collapsed at the flap of the tent, giggling.

When they walked past, Charming gave the children a dark look, but kept walking. That is, he kept walking until he saw Legolas. His jaw dropped.

Sabrina followed his eyes until she saw what he saw: Legolas was doing various types of flips and turns, a serene look on his face. Her jaw dropped so that she was mirroring Charming.

"Oh… oh my god…" she muttered, her heart starting to pound.

Daphne stopped short. She glanced worriedly at Sabrina. "'Brina?"

"Look… look at Legolas!" Sabrina said, urgently.

Daphne turned slowly to look at the training center. Her eyes grew very wide and she bit down on her palm hard.

Red and Puck, seeing Sabrina's face and Daphne's palm, also looked at the elf.

"No way…" Puck whispered.

"Yes way." Sabrina replied as nonchalantly as she could, trying to hide the fact that butterflies were now filling her stomach the way they only had when Puck was near. The way they had when Puck kissed her when they were eleven. The way they had when he had told her that she didn't need makeup. She had not felt such warmth since then. Never, until that moment. And this time, it had nothing to do with Puck.

- X -

**Anon Replies:**  
PenguinLoverGirl:  
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_I apologize that it took us so long to update! As I said in the A/N, we haven't really figured out a schedule for this yet… Hang in there, though! We are dedicating a lot of time to make this the best story we can give you! (P.S. Have you thought about getting an account? I have seen you popping up, reviewing EVERYWHERE, and I love you for that! ...in a purely platonic way.)  
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_V ~ Thanks so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it. In answer to your question, he looks to be in his early twenties. He is, however, at least 3000, which is not old for elves, but not young, either. Anyway, Google him if you like, that way you can have a better mental image of exactly who we're working with if you're not used to reading him. Oh, and you did spell his name correctly :)__  
__Namarie,__  
__Vanimalion_


	3. First Encounter

**Authors' Notes**  
_Suilad, Mellyn, Vanimalion here! First of all I'd like to apologize for the extreme lateness of this chapter... life got a little hectic. Anyway, thank you to __**SweetShireen **__and __**PenguinLoverGurl **__for your kind reviews, they mean a lot to us :D Anyway, chapter three is finally here, and we're back on track with this whole thing... so four should come in the reasonably near future, too. We have some blood in this chappie, too... *evil grin* hope you like it as much as I liked writing it...!_

- Chapter Three: First Encounter -

He needed somewhere quiet, somewhere still. Legolas had become accustomed to peace and solitude, and had begun to appreciate these days of tranquility as he had never been able to do before. Once he had felt such contentment, the bustle of a community at war became a tiring thing. He knew he would become used to it again, that his dormant passion for the thrill and terror of battle would once again light his blood aflame. But for now, all the elf wanted was a quiet space. A space in which to lose himself as elves so often love__to do. A place where he could be laid bare without fear of judgment or criticism. Right now, his one wish was to simply escape the constant commotion of this fort in which he was trapped, so very human in its entire being. He had seen, heard, and felt quite enough of this place, and the novelty of the thing had long worn off.

Apparently, his strangeness to the people had worn off as well. This was a good thing in his opinion. Stares and whispers were not unfamiliar to him, but that did not mean he liked them. The loss of the awestruck fascination in their new visitor was not something he missed. Rather, he felt that, given his current imprisonment, it was something to be celebrated.

With the thought of a time of solitude with the trees fresh in his mind, he shoved the small cloth he'd been using to clean the dust off his borrowed bow into his pocket and slung the weapon over a shoulder as he got up to walk to the training field. From what he had heard, that seemed like the most likely place for a Grimm to be. If not, then perhaps he could shoot a few arrows until someone who could to give him leave to visit a forest appeared.

By good fortune, however, Veronica was just exiting the Mess Hall when Legolas walked by. She was holding a stack of ragged papers covered in a spindly writing, reading as she walked. A closer look showed that it was a worn out book, barely held together by a cracking leather cover.

"Suilad," he said, his voice low, "do you have a moment?"

Veronica looked up from what she was reading, a smile forming on her lips. "Yes, of course. Do you need something?"

"Do you, by any chance, have access to a forest?"

"Excuse me?"

"A forest. Do you have access to one with all your magic and mirrors?"

"Oh." she paused, marking her place in her book. "Yes, our mirror has portals to several different worlds. I'm sure we have a few forests."

"May I visit one? I would much appreciate a chance to talk to the trees."

She nodded and walked off, gesturing for him to follow. She weaved through the many structures, taking a shortcut to the tent that held the mirrors. As they walked, members of the army called out friendly greetings. When they reached their destination, Legolas noticed that a short, bald dwarf that he had not yet met had replaced Sam. The dwarf glanced at Legolas before turning his attention to Veronica.

"Veronica, I have a tactical meeting in ten minutes, and no one is available to take over this shift. Do you have time?"

"I'm just going through some inventories, I can take over for you after I take Legolas to the Hall."

"Alright, thank you." He turned to the elf. "Charming told me about you. I hear you are quite a talented elf."

A slight blush spread over the elf's cheeks. "Well… not talent as much as the result of much hard training, one might say."

"You need to have some talent for training to have that sort of effect."

The blush deepened. "Well… some have said that, yes, but most elves reach this skill level with a few centuries of work…"

"Charming has at least three centuries of hard training. You are special."

"I am an elf. We are completely different. My race has several natural physical advantages… which makes the comparison rather unfair."

"Charming has magic. But… I can see that this is an endless battle, so I will stop. I'm Mr. Seven, by the way."

"Legolas," he said, and then hesitantly added, "at your service." It was the traditional, respectful way to greet a dwarf in Middle Earth. Since the relations between dwarves and elves had never been very good, Legolas was always careful. Yet this one had thrown him off by not offering the expected first part of the introduction. Legolas had no idea whether there was a proper way to respond to this dwarf, or whether the he should greet him as any other citizen of the fort.

"Come on, Legolas. I have to get back here for guard duty." Veronica stepped through the closest mirror, motioning for Legolas to follow her.

"Good day, Legolas." Mr. Seven said. The elf nodded a silent farewell, and followed Veronica through the portal.

This mirror was quite different than either of the other two Legolas had been in. There was a warm tropical breeze, and the open patio that they were standing on was surrounded by palm trees. To their left, a huge building rose with hundreds of windows and smaller porches. Legolas looked around him. The patio itself was made from mottled tiles of amber and white marble. The entrance to the hotel was a huge gold arch flanked with two fake ferns.

"Welcome to the Hotel of Wonders, Prince William Charming's personal heaven." Veronica said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Legolas did not care for this mirror either. It was all wrong. Everything from the flawless stone beneath his feet to the unnatural sky above him seemed strangely artificial, completely unlike anything he had ever seen. The building rising up beside them was bathed in a strange orange glow that could only be the light of a setting sun. However, it felt wrong and made the plain walls look gaudy and brash. He would be happy when they left this unpleasant place.

Veronica glanced at a vacant desk to the right of the gold arch. "Let's leave now before Harry appears."

She walked under the arch and into the hotel, turning left and going down a hallway. Stopping at the first alcove, she took a key off of a hook and unlocked the door labeled 18A. It opened out, revealing another portal, identical to the ones that they had gone through before. Silently, they stepped through the shimmering gateway and found themselves in the familiar room lined with mirrors again.

After they exited the Mirror Room, Veronica stopped and turned to Legolas. "I don't really know what type of forest you are looking for. Can you describe it to me?"

"Trees… trees and other plants. Really, there are not many requirements, although animals would be nice as well."

Veronica started walking down the long hall. "No animals, I'm afraid. These are all empty lands. When the final inhabitant left, they took the secret of how to get in with them. Years of hard work and magic on my husband's family's part has connected them to doors in this hall."

"Ah well, one cannot have everything." he smiled slightly, "as long as there are trees I will be happy."

Veronica smiled. She veered off towards an ornate wooden door. Carefully carved lettering spelled out "The Jungle" across the top of the door, matching a ceramic plaque that hung on the wall next to it. Pulling out an enormous ring of keys, Veronica flipped through them until she found a dark wooden one that matched the lock before her. When she unlocked and opened the door, they were hit with a warm, humid breeze. "Oh good, Bagheera fixed it…" Veronica muttered. She turned to the elf. "Is this jungle appealing to you?"

He looked at her, nodded, grinned brightly, and then stepped through the door, leapt smoothly into a tree, and vanished completely without a sound.

"Careful of anything that has a really bright color, it will probably eat you!" Veronica hollered after the elf.

- X -

The woman sighed peacefully as she wandered through the grassy fields, running her hands through her short red hair. Whenever she was in this place she felt safe. The soft silence was broken only by the sound of the breeze in the trees and the creaking of wood. She closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air.

The peaceful expression that had masked her face morphed into a frown, and she gave another sigh, this one tired. She wished she could forget that there is a war roaring around the Fort. Forget that this peace here, this safety, was not real. If only she could stay here, in this beautiful grassy field. But it belonged to another world, and the strange sunlight was not what she longed for. The sun she wanted was hidden, covered by the dark smoke and clouds of wartime.

Shaking herself, she quickly pulled out of her depressed trance. She set a decisive path through the grass, passing the familiar red barn. She came to a closed door standing in the field, appearing to lead nowhere. This was her gateway back to the horrors of war. Briefly glancing over her shoulder, she pushed the door open.

The cool marble of the hall felt stale and suffocating after the wide openness of the Stable. She gently closed the door behind her and started walking down the hall, deep in thought.

Suddenly, the door on her right opened and almost hit her. Startled, she gave choked gasp. A man was there, tall and lean. Radiant and glowing, he stood there, looking at her, an infectious, passionate joy flowing from him in waves. There was a light in his icy blue eyes full of a youthful exuberance. He was wild, untamable, and completely alive.

The energy lasted for only moment, and then it was gone. The light was still there, but it was dimmer, and there seemed to be a formal and polite mask upon his face. The childish energy was gone, or maybe just hiding, but she could no longer see it. He was stoic now, his soul guarded.

"I am so sorry for surprising you, dear lady," he said apologetically, bowing slightly, "do please forgive me for causing you such a fright."

Realizing she had been holding her breath, the woman let it all out in a puff on air. Taking a deep breath to ensure her voice wouldn't shake, she replied, "It's alright. I just didn't know anyone else was in the hall, let alone a strange man on the other side of that door."

He smiled, his mask of formality still firmly in place. "Quite understandable. I'm afraid I suffered a similar delusion… I had also assumed that there was no-one on the other side of this door, and therefore did not think to open it more carefully."

The woman smiled. "I don't recognize you. Are you the new guy? The one that came with the Grimms?"

"Aye, that is me," he dipped his head slightly in greeting, "Legolas Thranduilion. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I'm Rapunzel. As is 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your long hair, so I may climb the golden stair', although I don't suppose you've heard of that, coming from strange and distant lands."

"Ah, no, I regret to say I have not…" They both stood there slightly awkwardly for a moment.

"Well, as much fun as this is, I have to get back to the Fort. I have a meeting."

"Ah, I also must return to the fort. Shall we walk together, then?" He said with careful politeness.

She smiled at him. "I would be honored."

- X -

"Legolas?"

It was Charming. After a silent walk down the Hall, Legolas and Rapunzel had exited the mirror to find the prince waiting for Legolas's exit.

"Did you require something of me, Ser William?" Legolas asked, politely raising an eyebrow at the man.

"I should be going, Legolas. See you around." Rapunzel nodded to Charming, and walked away.

Nodding goodbye, Legolas returned his attention to Charming with a questioning look on his face.

After a moment, Charming said, "I see you met Rapunzel, our resident horsemaster."

"Yes I did, though I knew not her position."

"Yes, yes…" Charming looked as though whatever he was about to say was painful. "Before I tell you why I came to find you, I feel like I need to tell you something important. My ex-wife is married, and… I don't know. I just think that… that you should stay away from her. Although…" He sighed. "I promised her not to interfere in her life anymore."

The elf looked mortified. "What?! The idea that I… that I would… approach a woman in any unseemly or salacious way… it is simply preposterous! I would never be so base as to do such a thing!"

"I'm not implying anything, Legolas. I was simply saying that you also have that air that women find attractive. I also have a hold on this, as all of my ex-wives can attest."

Legolas raised an eyebrow at this pompous statement, and then what Charming had said sunk in. He looked away, embarrassed, a slight blush creeping over his cheeks. He was aware that he was attractive, but to have been told so by a stranger felt indecent for some reason.

After a moment of awkward silence, Charming cleared his throat. "Now, to my main reason for finding you." He paused. "I… I have been instructed by Snow to apologize to you for my behavior. It was uncalled for, and it angered her."

Legolas raised a golden eyebrow. He had to admit, it was surprising to hear Charming apologize. "Oh, there is no need to apologize," he said, glad of the distraction from his previous embarrassment. "I was not offended."

Charming looked slightly relieved that he had gotten that over with. Abruptly changing the subject, he said, "We held an emergency tactical meeting to discuss your arrival, and the other leaders of the army would like to meet you."

"Oh? I am interested to meet them. When will I get the chance?"

"They would like to meet you now, if you are not headed to the Mess Hall…?"

"No, I believe I will meet them now. That appears to work best for all of us. Will you lead the way?"

Charming nodded, turned, and started walking towards the house where they had first met. His strides were long, but Legolas kept easy pace with him.

They approached the grey building that Charming and Snow lived in. Snow was sitting on the edge of the porch, reading some papers. Charming stopped in front of her and cleared his throat.

She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows. "No need to grunt at me, I see you." But she was smiling. She stood up, and they started walking again. Snow fell into step with Legolas. "So, Legolas. I trust that you were able to entertain yourself?"

"Oh, yes." Legolas said with a smile. "Veronica showed me a lovely forest inside the mirror."

"Ah yes… the Grimms have collected many portals to the places we Everafters have abandoned."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Legolas asked, "How far is it to… wherever we happen to be going?"

"We are almost there. It's that building there." Snow pointed to a small cabin ahead of them.

As they got closer, the sounds of arguing men washed over them. One of the men let out an angry bellow as Charming opened the door.

"John! Don't let him get to you like that! Is it really worth it?"

A man with red hair and a matching goatee had his hand on the shoulder of a man twice his size. This man had black hair and ruddy skin, and his dark eyes were narrowed in anger. He was clearly restraining himself from punching a third man, glaring furiously at him instead, as if the pure anger in his eyes could burn the other to a crisp. Mr. Canis was standing in the corner, watching the conflict with an almost bored expression hiding his attentive interest.

Legolas looked on, bemused. So these were the leaders he now was reporting to. One corner of his mouth popped up in a tiny half smile, and his eyes brightened in amusement.

Charming gave an uncivilized bellow that made everyone freeze and look at him in shock. In the deathly silence that followed, Charming gave a weak cough, and gestured to Snow.

She laughed lightly, shaking her head. Then she turned to the men. "Well… I am ashamed of you! We leave you alone for a few minutes, and this is how you act?" Her voice was harsh, but her eyes were twinkling with amusement. "It was a very nice hello to our newest recruit. Gentlemen, I would like you to meet Legolas. Legolas, these are the leaders of our army. You already know Charming, Canis, and me. This is Robin Hood, head cartographer," She pointed to the red-headed man, "This is Arthur Pendragon, our head strategist," she gestured to a pudgy blond man, "and this is John Little." she nodded to the huge man who still looked rather belligerent. "He is the major general of our army"

Legolas's eyes swept the room, identifying each man in turn. "Well met, my lords." The elf said with a slight bow.

The men looked at Legolas. After an uncomfortably long silence, Robin stepped forward. Extending his hand to Legolas, he said, "Welcome to our army, Legolas."

- X -

Legolas carefully skewered a fresh, ripe, juicy grape with his fork and popped it into his mouth. He had a small plate of fruit with some bread and soft cheese on the side of his plate. The mess hall was not packed, but it was not empty, either. There were groups of chatting people along the benches of the long tables, but none of them were paying much attention to the elf, and that was just fine with him. He was content to eat his food in peace.

Sabrina walked past him, and blushed. Hunching her shoulders over her tray of food, she hurried away. Legolas looked after her, slightly confused by her behavior. Was she nervous around him?

"Is anyone sitting here?"

Legolas's head whipped around and his gaze alighted upon Rapunzel. He had known that she was there, of course, but had not thought that she would stop to speak with him.

"No, that seat is unoccupied." He said with a small smile.

She smiled, her violet eyes twinkling. She sat down, putting her tray onto the table. Picking up her fork, she said, "So, how have you been liking the Fort? Meet anyone particularly interesting? Most of the inhabitants of this boring town are fascinating."

"So far, my stay has been quite pleasant." He said, attempting to stab another slippery grape. He brought his fork up and plunged it into the fruit, watching as juice dribbled out onto the plate. "Yes, everyone that I have met has been quite interesting. This atmosphere is quite different from that of my home, so the entire experience has been fascinating."

Rapunzel tilted her head. "What is your home like?"

"Well, until recently, it was a dark, forbidding forest filled with giant poisonous spiders, wraiths, orcs, wargs, and other generally evil creatures. Only recently did we defeat them, but the price was high… we are now attempting to clean the forest and return it to its former glory." He paused and thought for a moment. "I suppose the largest difference between my home and what I have seen of yours is that you do not seem to take death as a given, but rather a tragedy. More like to the elves of other, more peaceful realms."

The princess frowned. "I don't understand." She took a bite of her sandwich.

"Which part?"

"The part about death being a tragedy here, but not in your home. Isn't the death of a loved one something to grieve over?"

"Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. At home, we all believe that we will die at some point in time, simply because so many do. Elves are killed almost every day on patrol, and every elf that is able bodied must fight. You see, we will all meet again in the halls of Mandos, where the spirits of those who are dead linger. If you believe that you are going to die, then the death of someone you love is not a permanent goodbye, but rather a short separation. If I thought the way you do here, I would have died of grief long ago. You see, this is also the only way we stay sane. Does that answer your question?" He was looking at her with the piercing gaze that was so unsettling, and for the first time she noticed a bit of emptiness in the icy blue depths, as if he wasn't fully whole.

Rapunzel looked at him, deep in thought. But when she opened her mouth to question him more, she was interrupted. "Hello, Love!"

It was John. He came striding up from behind Legolas, but ignored the elf. He circled the table to get to Rapunzel, who gave him a half smile. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned back and kissed him hello. "Are you going to have some lunch, John?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't have time right now. Charming wants me to lead another patrol out around where you saw the traces of dragon fire." He turned to Legolas. "Actually, I came to see if you would like to come. You have been here for a few days now, and not once have you set foot outside these walls."

A slight grin appeared on Legolas's face. "Yes, I do believe that I will join you. When do you plan to leave?"

John grinned back. "We can leave once you are finished, so long as you don't take too long." He gave a booming laugh. Rapunzel rolled her eyes, but smiled at her husband.

Legolas's fork jabbed down and speared the final grape on his plate with pinpoint accuracy. He popped the small fruit into his mouth and stood up. "Shall we proceed?" He asked.

The large man nodded, clapping Legolas heartily on the back. He scooped up the elf's empty tray and dumped it in the trash. Turning to Rapunzel, he kissed her.

She kissed him back and patted his cheek. "Be safe, okay? I don't want to be widowed." She said it jokingly, but the worry was evident in her frown.

John gave a small smile, and in a much calmer tone said, "Don't worry. I always come home, don't I?"

She smiled back, and then turned to Legolas. "Bye, Legolas. Have fun exploring our dangerous forest!"

"Until we meet again, Lady Rapunzel. Farewell." He smiled, put his hand on his heart, and bowed slightly at the waist.

- X -

The small company walked through the trees, taking care to be quiet and notice any signs of Hand activity. There were six of them. Other than Legolas and John, the patrol was all regular soldiers. They were being extra cautious because they were close to the border where the Hand controlled the forest, and it was quite plausible that they would meet an enemy force.

To everyone's great surprise, the elf did not walk along the ground, but rather crept through the branches, leaping gaps between trees like a squirrel. No branches ever broke under his weight, even though they were small, and his quick movements never made a sound. When he remained still, the Everafters soon lost sight of him in the greens and browns of the forest, so good was his camouflage.

When they stopped to have lunch, he disappeared completely.

Stopping in a clearing, John called the rest of his group over. "Alright you guys." he said in a low voice. "We are pretty far from the Fort, and we still have quite a ways to go. As unsafe as it is, I think that we need some nourishment." He gave the four other men sandwiches. It wasn't until he pulled a fifth out for Legolas that he noticed that the elf was gone.

Frowning, he turned back to the rest of his party, all of which we eating quickly; it was extremely unsafe to stay still. "Have any of you seen Legolas?"

Malcolm, a large, muscular man who was the closest to John, shoved the last of his sandwich into his mouth. "Gdno." he mumbled.

One of the other men, this one older, sighed. "Malcolm, eat like a human."

The two other men, both of which who looked a lot like Malcolm, spoke up defensive of their comrade brother. Their hushed argument carried nevertheless.

John looked at them with a slight smile that fell when he heard the echo of one of their particularly loud comments. "Hamelin, hush!"

The men froze, all talk immediately ceasing. However, it appeared to be too late. They could hear the sound of voices coming closer. And they were definitely not from their side.

Quickly, he hoisted the Piper up into the closest tree, climbing up after him. The three other men shrunk into their true forms, mice, and scampered under a nearby bush.

The enemy patrol came into view. There were eleven in total, among them a lion, a woman hovering in a pink bubble, and ball of greenish light. They were all laughing and fooling around.

A boy at the front of the group stooped down, looking at the footprints so carelessly scattered around the clearing. His fingers traced them, and he said, "There were people here. Ahh… five, I think." He followed their crisscrossing pattern, stopping at the tree that John and Hamelin were in. He trailed his fingers along the bark, a smile creeping onto his face. He turned back to the rest of his group, smiling. "We have them, sir." he said to an enormous and very hairy man, pointing up into the tree.

The man gave grin that displayed a mouthful of sharp teeth. He glanced up into the tree, and John held his breath. He recognized this man, and he was not one you wanted to be cornered by. It was the Beast.

However, the Beast frowned as he looked up into the tree. "I no see them." He said, slowly and deliberately. John almost sighed in relief. If the Beast couldn't see them, he would not let the patrol attack.

However, the boy who had found their footprints pointed right at John. Following his finger, the Beast squinted into the trees. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight filtering through the branches. Then his grin reappeared. He pointed up at John. "Found you!" Then he gave a howling laugh.

The green ball of light suddenly got brighter and expanded. The light then died, and in its place stood a short, lithe woman. John groaned internally. She had pale green wings like a butterfly and short, yellow-blond hair. She arched one overly shaped, penciled eyebrow, looking up into the tree. She gave John a sickly sweet smile. "Hello there, Johnny-boy."

John glared down at them. He took a deep breath. "Looking good, Tinkerbell. I see you replaced fairy dust and heels with army boots and… Bells! Is that a sword?" He said in mock astonishment. _'Legolas! Where are you?'_

The fairy narrowed her eyes. "Johnny… you aren't exactly in the position to be sarcastic. Now get down here and I'll get my friends here to go easy on you."

John gave a heavy sigh. "Oh, I think I'm in the perfect position to be sarcastic. You see, I am in a tree. And you can't do a thing until the Beast says you can." He pursed his lips and whistled a lazy little tune.

Tinkerbell glared at him. "Stop whistling and get down here!"

John looked at her, and then a thought occurred to him. He sat up a little straighter and stole a glance at the Piper. He gave his head a little shake. He didn't have his pipes.

The group down on the ground started fidgeting. "Little… no more wait. Come down now." said the Beast.

John looked down, searching the ground for any of the mice, but it was in vain; they were not there. He closed his eyes. _'This is it. If I give myself up, Piper and the mice can get back and warn Charming that these guys are so close to the Fort…'_

But just as he was about to jump down to the waiting hands of the Beast and Tinkerbell, he saw a small movement in the tree behind them. A small flash of bright gold glinted briefly through the leaves, and then vanished. _'Legolas!'_

John almost sighed in relief. Instead, he looked back down at the fairy. "Alright. I'm coming down, Bells."

Her sickly smile returned. "I knew that you would make the right choice, Johnny-boy! This will be great, I'll get the Master to pardon you, and then it will be just like old times. It will be like we never- HEY!" She was cut off by John jumping out of the tree, landing nearly on top of her. She fell to the ground, knocked off balance by the sudden appearance of John.

Brushing off his knees, John held out his hand. He helped her to her feet, saying, "Sorry, Bells."

"Johnny, you are such an _IMBECILE! _You…" She trailed off, glaring at him.

He gave her a huge grin. "Well Bells… It is dangerous to stand beneath people who are in trees. You never know, they might just… fall on you."

At that moment, something gold flew out through the air from the branches. Legolas landed on Tinkerbell's back, slamming her forward and to the ground. His knives were in his hands, and the fairy's throat was slit before she even knew what had hit her. The elf leapt up, dragging the dead woman with him, and threw her at one of the other Hand members-a youth with red hair-in one fluid motion. Her body collided with the boy and smashed him against the tree he was standing in front of. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Legolas paused, gazing serenely at the gaping mouths of the enemy patrol.

"He is right. Sometimes the inhabitants of trees do fall upon the unwary, and the effects can be quite perilous." He said seriously, before leaping at a giant rabbit, knives glistening in the sun.

As the elf engaged the enemy with his violent attack, John pulled out his own knives, the Piper dropped from the tree, and the three mice transformed back into humans.

The battle was over so quickly it might not have even counted as a battle. The soft, molding leaf litter was wet and squishy with blood, and the hand members lay strewn about, still and growing cold. The air reeked of death. John stared at the elf standing in the middle of the clearing, his knives dripping and his clothes spattered with red. He seemed to sense that he was being watched and he turned, his face blank and unreadable. Although he had heard Snow's report on the new recruit's skills, John had not really believed it until it had seen with his own eyes. The reality of the whole situation had left him in complete shock. Fast and efficient, none of the Hand members had stood a chance before the powerful elf. Even the Beast, a monster that had killed far more than his share of Charming's army, had been felled with easy skill, an arrow piercing his eye.

John was brought back to his senses when the elf reached up and wiped some blood from a cut on his forehead. "Do you want that looked at?" he asked.

"No, it can wait, but I thank you nonetheless. What shall we do with all this…" he gestured to the scattered bodies, and then he pointed to a still figure close to the edge of the clearing with one of his bloody knives. "He lives yet."

John crossed the clearing. Bending down, he saw that it was the childlike form of the boy that had been knocked out by Tinkerbell's body. "Pan…" John breathed. "That fairy prince is going to have a field day when he hears this…" He pulled one of the boy's eyelids up, and carefully examined his eye. "Concussion. Pretty bad too, although nothing he won't survive." The boy moved slightly. He blinked, opened his eyes, winced, and then closed them again. "Good, he's waking up." He moved his examination away from the head and down the neck. When he reached the chest, the boy yelped and stiffened in pain.

"Hush!" John covered the boy's mouth, and then turned to Legolas. "We'll bring him back for medical care and questioning. Bring him over to where Alexander is, and then help me pile these bodies. You too, Hamelin."

Legolas opened his mouth as if to ask something, but then closed it without a word. Walking over and lifting up the boy with surprising gentleness and care, he carried him to Alexander and placed the child against a tree, confident that he would not be moving about very soon.

As Legolas did this, the Piper and John started identifying the dead Hand members. The final count was nine dead: the Cowardly Lion, Glinda the not-so-good Witch, Hänsel, the White Rabbit, Mowgli, Miss. Muffet, the Beast, Tinkerbell, Jack, and Jill. In their own party, Bradford had been killed by Glinda, and Alexander was bleeding heavily from a wound in his side.

With a grunt, John added the body of Jill to the pile he was making. Suddenly, he heard a small whine of fear from behind him. Whipping around, he saw that the figure of a man was stirring. In a flash, Legolas had crossed to him.

John quickly followed. He looked at the man and gave a bark of laughter. "Well, well, well… Howard Hatchett. So you thought that the Hand had more to offer you? Well, they sure aren't going to offer you a rescue mission, that's for sure. Tie him up. The Grimms will get some information out of him."

Legolas reached down and picked up the man, bringing him over and setting him next to Pan, tying them up deftly, as if he had done it on uncountable occasions. He stood up and surveyed the clearing, his eyes falling on Alexander, who was leaning against a tree, his hand presses to his side. "Are you well enough to travel back, or do you require a field dressing…?" he asked quietly.

The man looked at the elf with a confused expression. "I… my brother, is he okay? Malcolm? Does he know that… that Brad… died?"

Legolas cocked his head and surveyed the man for a few seconds as if trying to figure out a puzzle. "I know not…" he said absentmindedly, as if distracted. "Might you wish to find and inform him?"

At that moment, Malcolm saw the body. "No… Brad?" He gently shook his brother. "Bradford! Wake up! Wake…up…" His voice became constricted, and tears welled up in his eyes.

John crossed from where he was bandaging Pan's head and put a hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "We need to go _now_. It is too dangerous to stay here; the sound of the fight will probably draw more Hand members to this spot." When the man had no response, John beckoned the Piper over. He muttered "Lead Malcolm back to the camp, and take Alexander with you. I'll bring Bradford's body back."

The Piper nodded, and helped the shocked Malcolm to his feet. He hoisted Alexander into his arms, and started back to the Fort. Then John lifted the limp figure of Bradford, and started after them.

Legolas carefully lifted the limp form of Pan into his arms. Giving the rope that tied Hatchett's hands together a small tug, he followed behind the others. He could feel tremors reverberating up the rope as his captive shook in fear.

- X -

After making the journey back to the Fort in record time, John and Legolas brought the various members of their injured patrol to the medical tent. John instructed Legolas to stay and explain to Nurse Sprat what had happened. He then went to find Robin, to whom he quickly explained the details of Bradford's death. He left Robin with the orders to let Cindy-also known as Cinderella-know what had happened to her surrogate son, and started searching for Charming.

He found him leaving the Mess Hall with Snow. Pulling them aside, John urgently said, "We need to call another emergency meeting about Legolas. Now."

Charming's mouth twitched and he frowned. "Trouble on the patrol, John?"

John nodded. "Yes. We were ambushed by eleven Hand members."

Snow's eyes widened. "What? And you escaped? Who was in your party?" she demanded.

"Hamelin, Malcolm, Alexander, and Bradford. And Legolas."

"Who did we lose?"

"Only Bradford. Legolas has proved himself to be an excellent fighter in the field. He saved us, distracting the patrol when we were unprepared. He took out Glinda with extreme speed, and working together we had the Beast down in a matter of moments."

Snow and Charming exchanged a surprised glance. "The Beast is dead?"

"Yes. This is why we need to call another meeting. I think that Legolas needs to be removed from patrol duty immediately."

- To Be Continued -

_**PenguinLoverGurl**__ ~ Super glad you liked that part, it took us awhile to get exactly what we were trying to communicate phrased in a way that was, you know, easy to read and grammatically correct._  
_Yes... Sabrina has got a bit of a crush... and on this strange elven visitor to boot! But seriously... who wouldn't?_  
_Well, it doesn't take us quite that long, but we do take our time to get everything JUST RIGHT, as you may have noticed... perhaps "take our time" is a bit of an understatement. I don't know, is a good few months "taking our time"...?_  
_Hope to see your account in the future! Do you have any stories planned? Can't wait to read them!_

_Lurvies!_

_-Archer Princess-_

_Namarie,  
Vanimalion_


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